Means for recording sound



jam 1925- 1,522,547

B. F. ROEHRIG MEANS FOR RECORDING SOUND In ven tor Bernard EJ130672 my,

A ttarrz ey.

FRANCIS RGEHRIG,

0F L08 MiG-m, GALIFQRBTQ,

MEANS FOR RECORDING SQUND.

Application filed May 17, 1923. Serial No. 63%,67Eh

To all whom it may concern."

Be it known that I, BERNARD FRANCIS ltonnnio, a citizen of the United States, residing at Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles and State of Ualifornia, have invented a new and useful Means for Recording Sound, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a novel method of and means for recording sound. The primary object of the invention is to pro vide means, in the nature of an attachment, adapted to be used in conjunction with the standard phonographs already in the homes of the country and by means of which any owner of such a phonograph may make a record having substantially the excellence of the standard records and that at a. very small cost.

In the early stages of the development of the phonograph, when soft wax cylinders were used as records, home recording was very widespread and very popular. But with the coming of the gramophone and the substitution of the comparatively hard disc records for the soft Wax cylinder records, home recording stopped, because the material of which the disc records are made is much too hard for recording and furthermore the design of the disc machines is such as to render them unsuitable for recording purposes:

First: Because the reproducer and tone arm must be of such weight as to make them too heavy to be run over a material soft enough for record making purposes; and

Second: Because in these machines there is no feeding mechanism to feed the recording stylus over the wax. The elimination of the comparatively expensive feeding mechanism of the earlier machines was rendered possible; in the disc machines because of the nature of the material of which the records are made. This material is of 1hh hardness that the spiral groove itself serves as thel eed for the stylus during the playing of the record.

Thus it will be seen that home recording was stopped, not because it was not a source of enjoyment to the people but because the nature of the machines being marketed, lacking as they did any feeding mechanism, rendered them unsuitable for home recording purposes. The demand on the part of the public for some instrumentality by which records may be made in the home is just as great as it ever was.

It is the purpose of the present invention to fill this need by the provision of instrumentalities of such simplicity that they may be manufactured and given to the public at a very small cost.

Briefly stated the invention resides in the provision of a record tablet having a-pretiormed spiral groove formedtherein and in utilizing in conjunction therewith a recorder comprising a recording styius adapted to travel in said groove and a rider which travels in the smooth portion of the groove ahead of the recording stylus, said rider serving to support and propel the recorder and (in the present embodiment of the invention) a horn to which said recorder is attached.

Uther objects and advantages will appear hereinafter.

While I show herewith and will, describe a preferred form of construction, it do not wish to be understood as limiting myseii to such construction, since various changes and adaptations may be made therein without departing from the spirit of my invention as hereinafter claimed My objects are attained by means of the device illustrated in the accompanying drawing in which Figure 1, is a side elevation of the de vice as it appears when applied to an ordinary phonograph, with parts brolien away for convenienceof illustration.

Figure 2, is a plan view of a record disc, with recording head, horn coupling and a portion of the horn in operative position.

Figure 3, is a view in vrticai longitudinal section of the recording head and diaphragm, together with a fragmental eievation of the horn coupling, showing the riding bar support depending therefrom. The line of section is denoted in Fig. 2, by line X. X.

Figure i, is an enlarged view of the adjustable clamping member shown in Fig. 1 at a, portions being broken away for the purpose of illustrating its construction.

Figure 5, is a view in section of the vertical adjustment mechanism of the horn support, and a fragmental section of the lower side of the horn.

Figure 6, is an enlarged fragmental section of the diaphragm, together with a longitudinai section of the stylus holder at Washers of suitable material 8. areattached to the seating faces of both jaws 4 and 8, to prevent marring the finish of the phonograph when in clamping contact therewith.

The arm 3,.is notched upon its lower side as at 9, and the screw supporting member 5, is recessed near its up r end as at 10, and is fitted so as to permit of its being slid freely back and forth upon the arm 3, during normal suspension. I

A pin 11,-is passed transv'ersly through the lower rear end of the recess 10, for the purpose of engaging the notches 9, in the arm 3, to hold the member 5, in prede- "termined positions when under duress from clamp the clamping against the panel of the phonograph. i

A recess 12, is formed centrally and longitudinally of the member 5, for the reception of the nut 6, and slots 13 and 14,

are cut through the side walls of .the recess 12, to admit of the passage therethrough of'the clamping screw 7, said screw'being provided at its outer end with a suitable head 15, for. convenience of operation.

A pad carrying head 8, is recessed in its rear side face, for the'reception of the ball 'end.16,'of the screw 7. The pad 8 is mounted upon the ad carr in'g head 8.

I A .sleeve 1 is sli ingly fitted upon the outer end of the arm 3 and a plug 18, is snugly fitted into the outer end thereof, and a hole 19, is bored verticallythrough both plug and sleeve, for the reception of the vertical pivot bar 20, which supports and positions the horn 21, on the small pivot end 22. The set screw 23, serves to pivot bar 20, in any desired position.

A .slot 24, in the lower side of th'e'horn 21, admits of the passage therethrough of. the pivot bar 20, and the sheathof yielding material 25, which envelops the pivot bar 20, at the point where it passes through the slot 24, or the purpose of preventing metallic contact and causing disagreeable sounds being transmitted to the record durin the recording eriod.

The recording ead shown in detail in ing taken on will be explained later on.

Fig. 3, com rises a head portion 26, having 3 an integra angular, tubular stem '27,

29. I t is obvious that thecoupling joint described, allows the head freedom to adapt loosely pivoted at 2 8, to the horn coupling itself to proper. position with relation to coupling 29, is an integral lug in any approved manner. I

The rider bar 32, has a small rider 33, at its lower extremity the purposeof which The recording head 26, is fitted with a diaphragm 34, to which is attacheda cutting stylus 35, the cutting edge of which is located substantially beneath the center of the diaphragm 34, and in apposition to the rider 33.

A thin washer 36, of any suitable material, serves to space the dia hragm 34,

from the head 26, and it is t us free to respond to the sound. waves as they come through the horn 21, and the stem 27, and impinge against the inside surface of the diaphragm 34, which transmits them to the record blank 37, thro h the intervening cutting stylus 35, there y resulting in the production of a sound record upon the record blank 37., Y I v The record blank which ,I provide for use with my device, consists of a composite 31, and into this lug, the rider bar 32, is rigidly secured disc 37, substantially of the shape and dimensions of ordinary phonograph records.

The record blank 37, consists referably of asphalt and asbestos moulded and pressed into the required shape, and when thoroughly dried out and seasoned, produces a blank of unyieldable material which is especially adaptable for the base of the blank, but an composition of cheap materials which will form a hardsmooth unyieldable base may be used for this purpose. I

To com lete the record blank I coat one side of t e base which has been formed by pressing as hereinbefore described, evenly upon one side with a thin layer of recording wax and upon the outer side of the wax, I form a continuous spiral groove 38, preferably by pressing. a

The operation of the device is as follows- With the horn and its attachments assembled and clamped u on the front and of a phonograph as ustrate'd in Fig. 1,

and arecord blank of my improved construction placed upon the turn-table 39, of the phone aph, the recording head coupled to the sum 1 end of the horn is lowered open the record blank in such manner that the rider 33, engages one of the outer convolutions of the sp ral groove 38.

The phonograph is now started and the record blank is revolved in such direction that the recording head with its cutting stylus 35, will be guided by the rider 33,-

inwardly toward the center of the record blank, as it rides along in the spiral groove 38, and by talking or singing into the large tions of the diaphragm. Thus the stylus is not called upon to overcome the inertia of the heavy parts which would dampen the action of said stylus and distort the record.

In the second place, the rider acts as a guide and feed for the cutting stylus and eliminates the delicate and expensive feeding mechanism that would otherwise be required for this purpose, and runnin as ,the rider does, slightly in advance 0 the cutting stylus, it is obvious that it is always operating in a clean unrecorded groove free from chips cut by the stylus, therefore the operation is smooth and quiet,

,and disagreeable sounds resulting from rough and dirty grooves, avoided in the record.

The inward movement of the head when recording, is permitted by the manner in which the horn is pivoted at 22. It will are entirely be noted that the supporting means for the horn consisting of the arm 3 and sleeve 17' is of considerable length. This support is designedly made of considerable length so that the pivot point for the horn may be located a considerable distance from the point at which the stylus and rider 33 engage the record. By virtue of this arrangement the change in angle of the horn during the time that the stylus is traveling from the outside edge of the record toward the center thereof, is relatively slight and the fact that-this change of angle is so slight coupled with the fact that the head. 26 has flexible connection 'with the horn coupling 29 eliminates any possibility of distortion of the groove by improper alignment of the rider and stylus with the groove. 7

The rider 33, is preferably made of very hard material, smoothly rounded and polished, and of such size that it is ca able of supporting the small end of the cm and its attachments Without. danger of gouging or marring the surface of the unrecorded groove.

Having thus fully described my invention in a manner which willbe readily understood by those familiar with the art,

I claim,

'The combination with a record having a preformed plain, spiral groove therein, of a recorder comprising a stylus adapted to travel in said groove, a diaphragm for vibrating said stylus to cause it to form a record in said groove and a rider adapted to travel in the groove in which the record is to be made by the stylus, said rider serving to support and propel the recorder. 

